BX2370-1 / buyers remorse?

[Michael Aos]

I spent 6 hours with my butt planted on the seat of the Bx 24 . I was cleaning up a debris pile and knocking over some small trees , and separating stumps and logs out of the pile . I have a larger tractor a 35 hp New holland . But the area was tight , the New Holland was too big .

That was my concern. At what size does it become too big? On paper, the B's look to have maneuverability similar to the BX's.

For me, the point is probably moot. I don't think I'll try and trade the BX2370 toward something larger, or sell it outright and buy something larger. Just chalk it up to learning.

Hopefully this thread can help someone else facing a similar dilemma.

 

[Michael Aos]

if you availed yourself of Kubota financing a heavier tractor would only cost you $20?, $30? more per monthly payment.

Probably closer to $100/month, but your point is still valid.

 

[Grandad4]

That was my concern. At what size does it become too big? On paper, the B's look to have maneuverability similar to the BX's.

For me, the point is probably moot. I don't think I'll try and trade the BX2370 toward something larger, or sell it outright and buy something larger. Just chalk it up to learning.

Hopefully this thread can help someone else facing a similar dilemma.

I am lucky to have a BX and a larger Grand L. There are a few tasks that can be done with reasonable efficiency by either machine but many more jobs lend themselves to one or the other tractor due to space, terrain, volume or weight involved. For example, it's pretty obvious that feeding 500 lb logs into a bonfire, 3 at a time, is work for the big tractor, and clearing a foot of snow from my 100 ft. driveway is a piece of cake for the BX.

Perhaps more to the point of your question, I have used my cousin's B2620 enough to compare it with my little BX. It feels about 20% larger than a BX, not so much in horsepower, but just physical size. Higher, longer, a bit wider. Either tractor pulls my 48" box blade about the same, although the B2620 could likely handle a 60". But the B2620 would overwhelm my 10' landscape trailer while the BX fits comfortably. And the BX scoots about a residential property easily while the B2620 would require more careful maneuvering. One clear difference involves ground clearance. If you expect to be on rough ground, the B would be a better choice. The other thing is that the B models definitely have a more tractor-like feel. That's not to take away from the BX though. It's amazing the work that little tractor has done for me.

 

[check]

Wow, Michael, 2/3 of an acre TOTAL over 3 properties? I have 3/4 acres on my main cottage, and my BX25 is more than adequate. Also, we bought a second, 25 acre rental property and the BX25 still does the job.

I was it one point considering the B2650, but someone let me try it out, and I felt it was just too big. Plus, the amount of money that I would have to spend to upgrade was simply not worth it.

You are fine with your BX.

 

[dragoneggs]

I think you will grow to love your little BX. Mine has been a godsend. I owe a lot to 4shorts and others in getting the most out of mine. Definitely you need lots of weight on the back to maximize the FEL work. I have a backhoe on most of the time except when I put a back blade or rake on. With your smallish property you will probably appreciate the tight spaces you can get in to.

 

[Michael Aos]

With your smallish property you will probably appreciate the tight spaces you can get in to.

3 lots. 11,340 sq feet & 10,800 square feet (adjacent) , 7382 square feet (down the street).

I kind of started with the tough stuff first. Removing several trees / stumps and concrete "stumps" where the fence 4x4's have rotted off and sheared at ground level.

Sort of feels under weight for these tasks.

At ~10hrs on the BX2370, I just emailed my dealer, asking about options to upgrade to a B2301 / B2601.

On the one hand, once I'm done with the initial cleanup, I think the BX2370 will be fine going forward.
On the other hand, my intention going into this was the resell the tractor after all the projects are done (1-2yrs), so I expect to recoup the additional ~$5K or whatever the difference is for a larger tractor in the end.

--

 

[Michael Aos]

Went and sat on the B2601.

Pretty darned awesome, but it's definitely bigger.

Maybe should have started there, but probably not worth upgrading now.

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

Have you come across a job that the BX was too small for?

The way I see it, everyone can want a bigger tractor and even be upset they didn't get a bigger one but in a lot of cases you can make it work. I am a hobby farmer, I have to make things work all the time because I don't have the money to buy everything, so far I have been successful in everything I have set out to accomplish, a few times I had to get pretty clever.

For my needs around my house taking care of cattle and chickens my dads 445 2wd JD worked plenty good, I stretched chainlink with it, pulled trailers ext.

I found only 1 job I needed a compact for and that was to feed round bales to the cattle, in order to be more efficient with feed costs this is the route I decided to go and to be honest I wanted the tractor more than needed lol.

A BX is about the same size as my dad's 445 and I would be plenty happy with it on 3 acres.

Maybe try not to think of it as you bought too small of a tractor, maybe look at it as your clever enough not to need a bigger tractor and you step up to the challenge to get it done with a smaller tool.

All a tractor is, is a simple machine. It's a lever (FEL) mobile thanks to wheels and axles driven by gears, you can increase the capacity and get away with less machine thanks to basic planning and leverage.

My grandpa did everything with block and tackle, he died before I was born but I heard some pretty amazing story's of what he accomplished with just that.

So in that case if you did run across something the BX couldn't lift, some lumber framed up, with screws hooked to rope and pulleys (block and tackle) is cheaper than another tractor and can still let you get the rest of the work done with the BX.

There's a lot of satisfaction in solving a problem with less resources.

 

[Michael Aos]

That's a really neat perspective. Thank you.
--

Maybe try not to think of it as you bought too small of a tractor, maybe look at it as your clever enough not to need a bigger tractor and you step up to the challenge to get it done with a smaller tool.

All a tractor is, is a simple machine. It's a lever (FEL) mobile thanks to wheels and axles driven by gears, you can increase the capacity and get away with less machine thanks to basic planning and leverage.

My grandpa did everything with block and tackle, he died before I was born but I heard some pretty amazing story's of what he accomplished with just that.

So in that case if you did run across something the BX couldn't lift, some lumber framed up, with screws hooked to rope and pulleys (block and tackle) is cheaper than another tractor and can still let you get the rest of the work done with the BX.

There's a lot of satisfaction in solving a problem with less resources.

 

[check]

Have you come across a job that the BX was too small for? The way I see it, everyone can want a bigger tractor and even be upset they didn't get a bigger one but in a lot of cases you can make it work. I am a hobby farmer, I have to make things work all the time because I don't have the money to buy everything, so far I have been successful in everything I have set out to accomplish, a few times I had to get pretty clever. For my needs around my house taking care of cattle and chickens my dads 445 2wd JD worked plenty good, I stretched chainlink with it, pulled trailers ext. I found only 1 job I needed a compact for and that was to feed round bales to the cattle, in order to be more efficient with feed costs this is the route I decided to go and to be honest I wanted the tractor more than needed lol. A BX is about the same size as my dad's 445 and I would be plenty happy with it on 3 acres. Maybe try not to think of it as you bought too small of a tractor, maybe look at it as your clever enough not to need a bigger tractor and you step up to the challenge to get it done with a smaller tool. All a tractor is, is a simple machine. It's a lever (FEL) mobile thanks to wheels and axles driven by gears, you can increase the capacity and get away with less machine thanks to basic planning and leverage. My grandpa did everything with block and tackle, he died before I was born but I heard some pretty amazing story's of what he accomplished with just that. So in that case if you did run across something the BX couldn't lift, some lumber framed up, with screws hooked to rope and pulleys (block and tackle) is cheaper than another tractor and can still let you get the rest of the work done with the BX. There's a lot of satisfaction in solving a problem with less resources.

Works for me! Plus, I save some $20,000 or so when I don't upgrade from my BX25 to the BX2650 with Backhoe.